"Home of the Warriors" Xi'an by piglet44

We really only came to Xi'an to see the Terracotta Warriors, just as most tourists do.We did not really find the city itself all that great, although the Warriors did not disappoint,and nor did the other sites that we saw there.I think that 2 days was really enough to spend in this town.Maybe it has hidden charms that we did not manage to see....

entrance to the Terracotta Factory

We took a guided tour to see the Terracotta Warriors.The tour cost us 300 RMB and we were picked up from the train station and returned to our hotel at the end.It included the following- Banpo Neolithic Village, the Tomb of the Emperor,lunch, a factory where they explained how the Terracotta Figurines are made (and try to sell you stuff , but not aggressively) and finally the Warriors themselves.It was most interesting and the guide Mary was efficient and pleasant. I booked the tour from a guy called John .(tel 13891822246) All in all it was an informative and unforgettable day. There were only four of us on this tour, us and another couple from Canada called Sharon and Bob, and we were transferred in a minibus. I highly recommend such an arrangement if you don't have a lot of time to spend in Xi'an. The day tour cost us 300 RMB(for both of us!)
The other sights in Xi'an we did alone the next day, by taking taxis.

Big Goose Pagoda

The next day we visited the Goose Pagoda .We took a taxi from our hotel (very cheap) and spent a few hours walking around the pagoda grounds, and climbing to the top - seven floors- to see the view from the top.The grounds are very beautifully arranged with Buddhas,and a lot of statues leading up to the entrance.
Across from the pagoda was a big square with large inflatable Olympic mascots, near the statue of the monk Xuanzang, so we took some photos there too.

• Pros:Interesting City
• Cons:lots of beggars and people selling you stuff
• In a nutshell:Fascinating window into History